You Will Shoot Your Eye Out

Firearms have an undesirable way of finding their way into too many of our nation’s top news stories. A school shooting in Wisconsin. The attempted assassination of a political candidate. The robbery and shooting of a professional athlete. An argument that turns violent…and deadly.

For those of us who value our Second Amendment freedoms, are upstanding citizens, responsible gun owners and merely want to enjoy our hobbies and keep ourselves and our families safe, it can be unbearable to watch the senseless violence that takes place daily in this country.

That’s because unless we are directly involved in a situation such as a victim or family member or close friend of a victim, gun owners feel the pain of violent crime committed with firearms more severely than those who have no personal stake in the crime itself.

“How is that?” you might ask. “Crime in our communities affects us all.” And it does. But it affects the gun owner worse than the non-gun owner because we know every crime reshapes the debate over firearms and threatens a way of life and a sense of protection that we hold dear.

And to be honest, by the very nature of our involvement with firearms and understanding of gun safety and responsibility, we better understand the intricacies of the gun debate than the average citizen who goes no further than headline deep on stories that affect and shape gun legislation—and our rights.

The recent killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by a man who waited for him like a hunter has brought another unwelcome spotlight on homemade and 3D printed guns, so called “ghost guns.” But more significantly in this case, it has brought an unwelcome light on the healthcare industry in general.

And the public, albeit likely a small, but vocal minority, has responded. Finding a voice in our nation’s 24-hour news cycle; selling products such as t-shirts exclaiming “Free Luigi” and “Deny, Defend, Depose,” the words police said were written on the shell casings discovered at the scene of Thompson’s murder; and raising funds for his defense, they have elevated the discussion on the frustrations many people already feel about healthcare and treatment by corporate America in general.

Let’s be clear: The evidence made available through the news in the killing of Thompson, if accurate, paints Luigi Mangione as nothing more than a savage killer, who shot an unaware man in the back as he walked to a meeting. He is no more honorable than Bob Ford, a disloyal friend who, as legend has it in order to collect a reward, shot bandit Jesse James in the back as he attempted to straighten a photo on his wall.

But because Mangione appears to have had some political motive brewing in his mind in response to a perceived injustice committed by big healthcare, an injustice many Americans are familiar with and can relate to, Mangione is being painted by some as a hero for the people. I doubt Thompson’s two young sons feel that way.

If he is a hero and his actions are deemed justifiable, what is to stop anyone who decides an injustice has been committed against them by say the manager of a grocery store who sells groceries that are deemed expensive, their own doctor when he fails to cure an illness or the mechanic who fixes their car when repairs take longer than expected or cost more than hoped? But that’s exactly what will happen if we justify Mangione’s actions. And in that case, everyone will always need to carry a gun for self-defense (some of you already do), because depending on what our job is, we could all find ourselves in the crosshairs.

As the late Martin Luther King Jr. once proclaimed, “The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.”

Support is “Shocking”

As New York prosecutors pursue murder charges, Mangione’s supporters are rallying to his defense in shocking numbers. A crowdfunding campaign on GiveSendGo, organized by an anonymous group dubbed “The December 4th Legal Committee,” raised over $100,000 in less than a week.

“We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right to fair legal representation,” the group stated.

The campaign struck a chord with donors who left comments reflecting their frustrations with the healthcare system. One donor, identifying as “A frustrated citizen,” thanked Mangione for “sparking the awareness and thought across this sleeping nation.”

Reddit threads have similarly erupted, not necessarily in support of Mangione’s crime but condemning the healthcare industry’s practices, which many argue push Americans to the brink. User Atlhart shared, “A friend of mine had knee surgery…the surgery was preauthorized. She just received a notice from UnitedHealthcare that they are denying the claim for the imaging used during surgery…UHC is saying it wasn’t necessary. $6000.”

Others echoed similar stories. Subhuman Resources described having an emergency appendectomy for their son rejected as “medically unnecessary,” a $96,000 charge: “Every claim is a fight.” Another user, No_Clue_7894, recounted their role as a pharmacy worker forced to deny life-saving medications to families, while sharing the personal burden of their husband’s cancer treatment.

111anza called out the hypocrisy between Mangione’s actions and corporate healthcare practices in their post:

“The CEO killer shot one person in broad daylight and he is charged 2nd degree murder for the horrible crime committed, rightfully so, justice will be served in a court of law.

“The CEO who was murdered, led a major healthcare company with an industry high profit margin of 28% that was the result of denying almost 1 out of 3 medical treatment. The CEO was never charged for any wrong doing even though his “business” decision certainly killed many people, instead, just last year along, he took home over $51 million dollars for (j)ob well done.

“People think the public is crazy for making this murderer a celebrity. No, the public knows that Luigi is a [murderer], and the public is not crazy. When you can profit by killing people en masse, legally, it’s the world that’s crazy.“

The Law Must Be Upheld

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, however, remains resolute, telling ABC News that Mangione’s supporters are on dangerous ground.

“Celebrating this conduct is abhorrent to me. It’s deeply disturbing,” he said. “We will be vigilant and hold people accountable.”

Amazon and Etsy have already removed merchandise in support of Mangione and glorifying or making light of his actions. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies are alarmed by reports of “wanted posters” for other executives and banners advocating further violence.

Retired FBI agent Richard Frankel compared the public response to Mangione’s actions to past cases like the Unabomber or Eric Rudolph, calling it a “politically charged” reaction.

“You can be up in arms about the healthcare industry, but you can’t threaten or actually hurt members of the healthcare industry,” Frankel told ABC News.

Mangione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, insists his client will plead not guilty and emphasizes his presumption of innocence. Still, the broader question looms: Are Mangione’s actions a disturbing symptom of public anger or a frightening precedent of vigilante justice?

Which to be clear, is a far cry from a defensive shooting where a threat is posing an immediate and imminent risk of death or severe bodily harm. And what culpability do corporations, particularly healthcare companies, and even our legal and political system have in leaving so many Americans feeling powerless to find justice in their lives that they can relate to this guy.

As one Reddit user grimly put it: “No one should be surprised this happened.” No, not surprised, but the rule of law must prevail or the rule of gunplay will, as nobody will ever be safe.